Smart exercise goals

Exercise shouldn’t be easy. If you’re getting through your morning run or regular gym session without breaking much of a sweat then it is time to step it up and set some new goals.

David Beard, WA spokesman for Exercise and Sports Science Australia, said for people to continue reaping the most benefit from exercise they needed to push themselves so that it was uncomfortable, at least for some of the time.

“The whole session doesn’t have to be hard work and you don’t want it to be so hard that you are dreading going, but there at least needs to be some sections that are a little bit harder,” he said.

“This could be the hill you push yourself to run up or another section where you go just a little bit harder.

“If you are not finding that some of the session is uncomfortable then you are probably not pushing yourself quite hard enough to be maintaining the benefits that you want.”

Goals and monitoring your progress can provide great motivation, according to University of WA sport science and exercise health lecturer Nat Benjanuvatra.

“When you declare a goal, write it in your journal or post it on your wall, it is almost a contract to yourself so when it is there you are reminded of it and when you feel like doing it the least you might think ‘I’d better go because it is going to help me achieve A, B, C and D’.”

He advised people to make “smart” goals, ones that were specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. They also had to be challenging.

With any exercise you should feel some sort of volitional fatigue — the point where you can’t lift one more repetition or go further or harder without “cheating” or using correct form — this could be by using momentum or leaning.

“Generally if you feel a bit comfortable then that might be when you set a new target to increase reps or resistance in some way,” Dr Benjanuvatra said.

Stepping up your exercise can be achieved either through doing more or doing it quicker but it was generally advised not to try to do both at the same time, Mr Beard said.

With walking as an example, this would mean someone who found their half-hour walk was too easy could step it up by trying to cover the same distance in a quicker time, say 25 minutes.

Once that is achieved they could go back to 30 minutes but increase the distance. The same could apply to swimming or cycling.

Mr Beard warned that pushing yourself too hard was also a trap.

“The signs for that are that you are taking longer than normal to recover, if your appetite is off a bit or you are overly tired; they are all signs that you are doing too much and maybe you have stepped it up too quickly.”

People are generally advised to allow time for recovery, at least one day between hard sessions.

Staying motivated

A key to fitness success is working out what type of exerciser you are: The kind who needs a goal to stay on track or the kind who incorporates exercise as part of their life.

Mr Beard said it was important to identify which of these you were and what motivated you.

People who liked goals could lose interest in exercise if they were not training for an end purpose.

“They are the people that if they are not competing in something then they think why bother doing it,” he said.

“I used to do triathlons and once I made the decision that I wouldn’t do any more racing, I actually enjoyed my training a lot more. I still train about the same but I didn’t like the pressure of competing, whereas some people thrive on that and they need it.

“It is important to find out if you are the sort of person who needs the motivation of a goal at the end or one that is just happy to get into a routine and keep going.”

Regardless, the most important thing for lifelong fitness was consistency.

HEALTH+MEDICINE VIDEOS

Health+Medicine is published every
Wednesday in The West Australian Get The West home delivered here. Call 1800 811 855

Health+Medicine is the best-read weekday
liftout in The West Australian, the clear
newspaper of choice for WA people seeking
information on health, wellbeing and fitness
products and services
- Morgan Readership Survey 12 months to 31
December 2012

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

The information on this site is not
professional medical or health advice
and must not replace such advice.
Health+Medicine strongly recommends
consulting a health care professional.

Health+Medicine is supported by a grant from Healthway (the WA Health Promotion Foundation) with the involvement of The National Heart Foundation (WA division), Cancer Council of WA, Asthma Foundation of WA, Australian Medical Association (WA), Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, FPWA Sexual Health Services, School of Population Health University of WA, Arthritis & Osteoporosis Foundation of WA and Diabetes WA.